Warriors at Mavericks: Odds, expert picks for Western Conference finals Game 4

Golden State is on the verge of its sixth NBA Finals appearance in the last eight years. The Warriors won Game 3 in Dallas and Jason Kidd and Luka Dončić were talking big picture after falling down 3-0 in the series.

Will the Mavericks fight to avoid the sweep or are they already thinking about the offseason? No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in NBA history.

Tuesday

Game 4: Warriors at Mavericks, 9 p.m. (ET). TV: TNT

During the NBA playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their straight-up picks. You’ll find picks, coverage and the latest odds here. Our in-depth NBA coverage is linked below the picks. For live NBA odds from BetMGM, click here.

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
			-105
	-1.5	215.5	-115

Series odds: Warriors -10000, Mavericks +2500

On Sunday, Jason Kidd wrapped up the Western Conference final with a well-earned pat on the back for his Mavericks. “This is huge for our franchise,” Dallas’ coach said, “because none of you guys had us here. You guys were all supposed to be on vacation.”

It is a big step for the Mavericks, a young team on the rise. Pushing into the conference finals put them well ahead of schedule in their development. Pats on the back all around.

Only thing is, this series is still going. The Mavericks are still alive. There is at least another game to play. It’s a little early for pats on the back.

But Sunday’s Game 3 in Dallas was the game the Mavs were supposed to win. They were favored on their home court over an otherwise superior, more experienced, better equipped Warriors team. But then Andrew Wiggins played the game of his season, and the Warriors held Dončić in check for three quarters until it was too late.

Steve Kerr has positioned Golden State perfectly. He’s kept most of his players involved and active, ready to contribute when they are either called on by choice or forced into action by the dictates of the game.

Take Wiggins, for example. In his past five games, the 6-foot-7 small forward scored five, 18, 19 and 16 points, then he threw down for 27 points in Game 3 on Sunday. He wasn’t the game’s high scorer, not even the high scorer on his team, but Wiggins was the player of the game.

ANDREW WIGGINS EXPLODES TO THE RIM ON TNT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/p18kLhcf1p

— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2022

The Mavericks are slight favorites again, with Game 4 on their home court. But they have little moxie to play with right now. Everything is coming up Warriors.